Silverstone

The MG Car Club are sorry to announce that due to Silverstone Circuits Limited’s decision to carry out essential track maintenance during June 2019, MGLive! has lost its venue and dates. Silverstone has been the home of MGLive! since its inception as the MG Car Club’s annual national meeting, meaning the loss of the opportunity to host the event at Silverstone has hit the Club very hard sentimentally. The MG Car Club are now exploring options to move the event to a new location and date, with further announcements to be made on this in due course once arrangements are in place.

The 2019 Silverstone Classic is delighted to announce a far-reaching three-year official partnership with Aston Martin – a collaboration with the world famous luxury automotive group which embraces both on- and off-track activities at the world’s biggest historic motor racing festival. Completing a record-breaking feast of retro racing, this summer’s Classic (26-28 July) has the honor of hosting the very first round of Aston Martin’s newly announced Aston Martin Heritage Racing Festival Series. Aston Martin recently opened a new state-of-the-art high-performance test and development base at Silverstone and its presence at the Classic will be furthered by the supply of the official Safety and Course Cars for each grid. Like last year, these will help to ensure the smooth running of the non-stop nostalgic track action throughout the packed weekend.

Mini owners are being offered a fantastic opportunity to be part of the idolized little car’s unmissable 60th birthday party at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July). Plans to salute the diminutive icon’s diamond jubilee with the biggest-ever grid of racing Minis has already been announced – but now comes confirmation of an exclusive anniversary track parade and display, too.

The 60th anniversary of the extraordinary Mini Minor will be celebrated with two record-breaking races at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July). To mark this magical milestone in true Classic style, the packed on-track program will – for the first time ever – feature a pair of very special showdowns dedicated entirely to huge numbers of much-loved Mini racers competing for The Mini Celebration Trophy presented by Adrian Flux. The automotive icon’s enduring popularity with historic motorsport competitors is certain to create the world’s biggest-ever grid of racing Minis and, fittingly, another major crowd-pleasing highlight at this year’s running of the biggest retro-racing festival on the planet.

Aston Martin Racing’s new Vantage GTE recorded its first top-four finish and made a significant step forward in pace and development during the 6 Hours of Silverstone this weekend. Both Vantage GTEs maintained their 100% finishing records during Round 3 of the FIA World Endurance Championship, with Alex Lynn (GB) and Maxime Martin (BEL) delivering the #97 car’s best finish yet with a trouble-free run to fourth on home soil. Their team-mates Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Marco Sørensen (DEN) were also heading for a strong result until encountering a gear selection issue that required some unscheduled stops to resolve. The ‘DaneTrain’ recovered to finish eighth, ensuring the team’s third double-points finish of the season in the GTE Pro category. We have definitely made big progress with the car. We showed that we have a strong car in qualifying and that […]

Aston Martin Lagonda today announces two important new additions to its UK site operations. The Aston Martin Test and Development Centre at Silverstone will become a new hub for prototype vehicle testing, focused on chassis dynamics and high-speed handling. Concurrently announced is the creation of a central London office providing conveniently located space for meetings and events. Commenting on these announcements, Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer said: The company is now investing for growth across the Aston Martin and Lagonda brands. I am particularly pleased that we can now call Silverstone home for dynamic testing and development.

AMOC Racing has launched a fresh new approach to the GT Challenge race series for GT cars running on slick tires, and aimed at ‘gentlemen drivers’. The GT Challenge is open to all GT cars old and new, the simple new format incorporates three classes; Class 1 for Aston Martin GT4 and N24, Class 2 for other marques running to FIA GT4 rules and Class 3 for any sports or saloon car of a type first built between 1995 and 2007 – providing performance is deemed appropriate. All cars will run on a control Dunlop slick tire thanks to support from HP Tyres who will support all rounds. The GT Challenge will consist of five rounds throughout the 2018 AMOC Racing season calendar, the 50-minute endurance races will feature a rolling start and incorporate a pit-stop to enable competitors to […]

Silverstone on Saturday, September 30th saw the 2017 AMOC (Aston Martin Owner’s Club) Racing season sign off in style with bumper grids and great racing. A dramatic combined Intermarque and GT Challenge race saw Richard Cook and Harvey Stanley battle hard for their win, while Rob Hollyman dominated in the Intermarque but third was enough to give Bob Searles the Individual Championship title. The AMOC ‘50s Sports Cars including the Vredestein JEC XK Challenge opened the day’s racing and on lap one the Cooper Bristol of John Ure slipped by poleman Dan Crowton’s Lotus at Luffield to take the lead and later the win, Crowton losing out again a lap later as the Cooper Monaco of Tony Ditheridge, up from fifth on the grid, moved into second with the MGA of Max Cawthorn moving into third.

Silverstone Auctions is to auction a Series II Jaguar E-Type Fixed Head Coupé that is believed to be the last of its type ever sold as new. In excellent condition and never having undergone a major restoration, the Jaguar Light Blue E-Type will go under the hammer at the Salon Privé Sale at Blenheim Palace on 2nd September. The UK specification right-hand drive E-Type was built in August 1970 and was eventually delivered to dealer Charles of Pirbright, where it remained in the showroom for five months until it was sold to its first owner on 7th August 1971, likely making it the last Series II Fixed Head Coupé to find a home.

More than 40XJ220 Jaguars came together at the Silverstone Classic Saturday (29 July), in a record-breaking reunion to mark the 25th birthday of what was once the fastest production car in the world. The dramatically-styled, mid-engined, two-seater supercar was introduced in 1992, with its top speed of 212.3mph making it Jaguar’s quickest road-going car – an accolade it still holds to this day.

One of the rarest of all flavors of the Mini Cooper S, a 970 S built in 1964 comes up for auction at the Silverstone Classic on 29th – 30th July. A fine example of the homologation special created to qualify the Cooper S for the under 1000cc category in racing and rallying, the car presented by Silverstone Auctions is one of less than a thousand ever built. With engine and chassis numbers matching logbook records and an extensive history file including homologation papers, heritage certificate, 2004 FIA Historic Technical Passport and MoT certificates, the iconic Cooper 970 S is estimated to sell for between £43,000 and £50,000.

Special plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the remarkable Jaguar XJ220 at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (28-30 July) have moved up a gear with confirmation that two of the key inspirational figures behind the sensational supercar, Jim Randle and Keith Helfet, will both be joining the silver jubilee festivities. As Engineering Director at Jaguar, Randle was the mastermind behind what is still the fastest, most exciting and most expensive road-going Jaguar ever created. Helfet was Jaguar’s senior sports car designer and the brains behind the XJ220’s stunning – and astonishingly ageless – styling.

The name above the gate may say MGLive! but there’s plenty more to see than just MGs models when the MG Car Club‘s annual extravaganza returns to Silverstone on 17th and 18th June. The Club’s Racing division has developed a racing programme not to be missed on the GP Circuit, as it’s own MG championships are joined by the pre-1966 Touring cars from the Masters Series, giving visitors the chance to see BMW 2002s, Alfa Romeos, Lotus Cortinas, Ford Falcons and Mustangs battling it out against the ever competitive Mini Coopers.

It’s an age-old question and the subject of never-ending discussions between automotive enthusiasts: how many cylinders make for the best sounding engine? Could it be the mighty roar of a V12? The thunderous rumble of a V8? The smooth howl of a six cylinder? The crisp bark of a well-tuned four cylinder? Or, perhaps, the primal scream of a two-stroke V4 racing bike? The folks behind the Silverstone Classic are trying to find out. Watch this video to hear them all, make your decision, and then vote below. Which engine plays the best tune!? 4-cylinder, straight-six, V8 or V12 – you decide! Vote here on Silverstone’s Facebook site.

Jaguar’s remarkable XJ220 is the latest classic car to receive the record-breaking treatment at the Silverstone Classic. It’s 25 years since the dramatically-styled, mid-engined, two-seater supercar was first introduced, quickly becoming not only Jaguar’s fastest ever production car (an accolade it still holds today) but also the fastest production car in the world when clocked at a – then peerless – 212.3 mph.

McLaren Automotive has announced full details of the 2017 Pure McLaren program – a series of exclusive events that bring together the most passionate McLaren owners and enthusiasts. The 2017 calendar starts on April 5 at Monza, Italy and promises exhilarating track days at some of the most iconic Grand Prix circuits across the world. For this year, the program of courses has increased with the introduction of several packages focusing on high performance driving with the aim of transforming those interested in entering the world of motorsport into amateur racing drivers. 

A stunning and very rare 1971 Aston Martin DB6 MKII Vantage Saloon belonging to touring car driver, commentator and TV personality, John Cleland, will be offered at auction at Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale at Silverstone circuit. As one of only 34 examples made, this original right-hand drive, matching engine and chassis numbers, factory built Vantage DB6 MKII manual has been exceptionally well maintained and improved by Aston Martin specialists throughout its life.

Next summer’s Silverstone Classic will feature more than eight decades of glittering motorsport history, with confirmation that the acclaimed Kidston Trophy for Pre-War Sports Cars is returning to the packed on-track program in 2017.